Abstract:A theoretical and experimental study is presented of the aeroelastic instability of a panel with various boundary conditions on its leading and trailing edges, exposed to air flow over its upper surface or on both sides. The flow is incompressible and two-dimensional (no span-wise deformation of the panel). The case of a panel clamped at its leading edge and free at its trailing edge is investigated both theoretically and experimentally. The aerodynamic theory of steady non-circulatory flow is applied for panels fixed at both ends, and the quasi-steady and full unsteady aerodynamic lifting theories to a cantilevered panel (free at the trailing edge). Theory shows that a panel with both ends fixed loses its stability by divergence, while the instability of a cantilevered panel is of a flutter type. The latter is also confirmed experimentally